Warriors guard Monta Ellis once again was given a public platform to discuss last summer's accident that injured his left ankle, and like he did Friday night with my requests, he turned down an opportunity Monday night to come clean on KNBR 680-AM.

When Tolbert asked Monta if he wishes he at first told Warriors officials he got hurt on a moped rather than falsely claiming it was a training mishap, Ellis replied: "I wanted to do that." Tolbert asked if Ellis got bad advice from his agent or friends. Ellis shrugged that off and said: "It was a panic moment."

Kudos to Ralph and Tom for trying, and even bringing up former Giant Jeff Kent's "truck-washing" accident.

So why is this so relevant nine months later? Because Ellis doesn't seem to be acknowledging the impact his injury had on the team or on the public's trust in him. He missed the first half of the season before returning Friday night with a 20-point effort against the Lakers. Before that game, I asked him if he'd ever reveal more about his accident, he said no and didn't even remember what happened. That spurred my Saturday column condemning his lack of accountability, so I won't rehash my take again he is that "I made it through" the rehabilitation process, it's not just about him. His team certainly didn't make it through the season's first half with ease. Asked on KNBR if he harbored any resentment toward the Warriors' front office (which suspended him 30 games and threatened to void his $66 million contract), he unconvinsingly said, "We're cool. ... Life's too short to hold grudges."

Warriors fans agree. Ellis described his welcome-back ovation Friday night as "great." He said hearing his name in the pre-game introductions made him feel "reborn."

It's just another example of how Bay Area fans will embrace wayward athletes (see: Ellis, Barry Bonds, countless Raiders) if they perform well for the home team.

While having Monta back is great and his continued performance will ultimately overshadow his past actions, it's important not to lose sight of what his decision did to the W's season. While people are busy complaining about Maggs, Craw, Jax or whoever they don't like that week it seems that we've forgotten that the horrible first half was in due in large to Monta's injury. His refusal to speak on the incident and apologize to fans and teammates for the lost season show a lot about his character. Unfortunately, as was previously mentioned, Bay Area fans are blindly forgiving.

"Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will."

BayDevil wrote:While having Monta back is great and his continued performance will ultimately overshadow his past actions, it's important not to lose sight of what his decision did to the W's season. While people are busy complaining about Maggs, Craw, Jax or whoever they don't like that week it seems that we've forgotten that the horrible first half was in due in large to Monta's injury. His refusal to speak on the incident and apologize to fans and teammates for the lost season show a lot about his character. Unfortunately, as was previously mentioned, Bay Area fans are blindly forgiving.

well, NONE of these guys are role models, and they shouldn't be. If we admire them for any reason othr than their basketball skills, they need to show us why we should. For instance, Nash is one to admire for his off-court behavior and contributions, as is Brandan Roy. Most of them? The only thing notable about them is how freakishly good they are with an inflated orange ball.

To Live is A Value Judgment - Albert Camus
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